Across the Universe
by BitterRenegade
Summary: "Yeah, well. I also remember beating you on every test and simulator." "By one or two points, maybe. Considering my age at the time that'd still make me better than you." "In your dreams, maybe. Anyways, I'm still the pilot. You're just the co-pilot." Follow Kimberly Kogan as she deals with being the Co-Pilot of Jeff 'Joker' Moreau. (Re-written version of Co-Pilot)
1. Prologue

_Author's Note: Looking back at Co-Pilot I realized that I could have written it so much better... and so I am rewriting the entire thing.  
_

_Enjoy, friends!_

_Summary: "Yeah, well. I also remember beating you on every test and simulator." "By one or two point's, maybe. Considering my age at the time that'd still make me better than you." "In your dreams, maybe. Anyways, I'm still the pilot. You're just the co-pilot." Follow Kimberly Kogan as she deals with being the Co-Pilot of Jeff 'Joker' Moreau._

_Warnings: OC's, language, Joker._

_Pairings: F!ShepxKaidan. _

~*~  
Across the Universe  
Chapter 1: Prologue  
~*~

For my first few years in the Alliance, I'd been assigned as the Co-Pilot on the SSV Tereshkova. It was a great ship with a fantastic crew. They gave me hours in Infiltrator training in the case I ever wanted to leave my position as co-pilot but that would never happen since I loved flying way too much to ever give it up.

Then news of Alliance Official, Damian Spryce's death came and my life changed.

At his funeral, his co-workers and friends had shown up as well as one other important person.

Sabrina Shepard, the woman I consider family and an N7 Sentinal. She raised me from when I was ten and we were both in the Reds on Earth. Damian picked us both up for auto theft and Sabrina convinced him to keep us off the streets. The man gave us both a home to stay in, our education, and became our legal guardian…just so we could enlist when we became of age. Sabrina kept in touch with me after she left, even after her failed mission on Akuze.

Looking back now, even if Sabrina was around, it was Damian who helped me have the life that I did. In his will, because we were the closest things he had to family he left us all his credits and property.

Then, I received an offer to be placed on a brand new ship with Sabrina.

The SSV Normandy, a prototype stealth reconnaissance frigate. Co-developed by the Alliance and the Turian Hierarchy and sponsored by the Citadel Council. Admiral Hackett was the one that gave me the offer, and Damian had always looked up to the admiral so I eagerly agreed. Besides, I'd also get to work closer to Sabrina. It was like a dream come true, being able to work with the only person who I thought of as family... now that Damian was gone. Not only that, but a prototype frigate! The very idea of working on it was exciting; Sabrina had even told me that only the best would be assigned to the Normandy. Maybe it was just a way of stealthily telling me how good she thought I was, but it certainly made working on the ship seem like an honor (which it would be, even if Sabrina had told me nothing).

The ship's captain was David Anderson. I'd met him on a few occasions when I was out with Damian. I'd always thought him to be a kind man, and I knew he'd worked with Sabrina before, as well. So of course I agreed, and as soon as the transfer paperwork had been filled out, I went to the ship to meet the crew, and more importantly, the pilot.

Stepping inside, I maintained a professional appearance on the outside regardless of my giddy feelings. Really, I couldn't wait to start! The Tereshkova was a great ship of course... but the Normandy already seemed hundreds of times better. The dim lighting was common for an Alliance frigate, and peering out from the airlock I could spot the unique CIC. Turian design, I figured, with the CO station at the back overlooking the rest of the crew. Man, working here was going to be pretty different from what I was used to. I took a step towards the CIC, quickly realizing that it would probably be a better idea to check out the cockpit and meet who I'd be working the most with first. Spinning around, I rushed into the cockpit with a cheerful grin. There were multiple control panels, the co-pilot's seat empty with the panel glowing green. The pilot was sitting in his seat tapping on the aerogel controls. For a brief moment I felt a wave of anxiety pass through me. What if the pilot thought I was too young and inexperienced? I'd had that problem when I first began working on the Tereshkova. While most began their training at eighteen, I had been enrolled in flight school three years earlier. That made me one of the youngest working pilot in the Alliance. It took a lot of work on the Tereshkova before anyone actually took me seriously, so I wouldn't exactly be surprised if that happened again here. Taking a deep breath, I approached the pilot determinedly, a smile on my face that instantly fell the moment I saw who I'd be working with.

Brown hair, green eyes... familiar face, except now he'd grown a bit of a beard. The pilot was none other than Jeff Moreau. My ex-rival from flight school. While he was at the top of our class, he had this way of looking down on everyone even before that happened. Since I was always second best, he had been especially hard on me; voicing whenever I made a mistake. Hell, I'd even tried to be nice to him back then, the only response he gave was 'stay out of my way'. The universe had a funny way of doing things I had to admit; eyeing him warily. I didn't know how time had affected him. For all I knew, he was still the jerk who thought he was better than everyone else.

And if he was still that way, I knew I'd have a lot of trouble working with him.

"Hello," I greeted, forcing a smile on my face. "I'm going to be your Co-Pilot. It's nice to see you again, Moreau."

He glanced up at me, squinting his green eyes with a twinge of recognition on his face. "…Kim, right? You're the girl that entered flight school three years early, right?"

Rolling my eyes and crossing my arms, I nodded at him. "Funny that's the only thing you remember," I commented. Inwardly I cringed, this wasn't exactly how I wanted this re-introduction to go.

Moreau looked away from me and back to the control panel. "Yeah, well. I also remember beating you on every test and simulator," he replied haughtily. His tone and disregard made anger bubble up in my chest, ready to burst.

"By one or two point's, maybe," I snapped. "Considering my age at the time that'd still make me better than you."

"In your dreams, maybe," He grinned. "Anyways, I'm still the pilot. You're just the co-pilot."

Taking my seat, I fumed silently. The only things that had changed about him since we had graduated were that now he smiled and talked a bit more. He was still a jerk.

"Hey CP, careful with the controls," Moreau warned. "We're going to have a Spectre on board, and we can't have you looking like you're about to kill the ship."

Closing my eyes, I took a few deep breaths before nodding. "Sure thing Flight Lieutenant," I forced out. God, this man got under my skin so easily that I felt ashamed. Silently I scolded myself, just because he was a jerk didn't mean that I shouldn't act professional and conceal my true feelings towards him. Maybe if I just treated him the way I treated everyone else, he'd treat me better too.

"That's Flight Lieatenant _Moreau, _CP."

My eye twitched.

I was going to hate this job.


	2. Eden Prime

_Summary: "Yeah, well. I also remember beating you on every test and simulator." "By one or two point's, maybe. Considering my age at the time that'd still make me better than you." "In your dreams, maybe. Anyways, I'm still the pilot. You're just the co-pilot." Follow Kimberly Kogan as she deals with being the Co-Pilot of Jeff 'Joker' Moreau._

_Warnings: OC's, language, Joker._

_Pairings: F!ShepxKaidan._

_Disclaimer: If I owned Bioware… Let's just say a few things would have ended differently._

~*~  
Across the Universe  
Chapter 2: Eden Prime  
~*~

"The Arcturus Prime relay is in range. Initiating transmission sequence," Joker called over the comm. Our controls flashed green; text telling us the TCP went through. "We are connected," the pilot continued, tapping a few buttons on the panel. "Calculating transit mass and destination," his brow furrowed for a moment. "Relay is hot. Acquiring approach vector." I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. Since we began flying he was determined to do practically everything. It was like team exercises in flight school all over again, with the 'stay out of my way'. Yeah, well, I was _not _going to just let that happen. I still had to do something! At least to prove that Hackett made the right call requesting to transfer me. While Joker worked on the approach vector, I quickly scanned my control panel to check that everything else was secure.

"All stations secure for transit," I told him, and he barely acknowledged me as he flew. The boards turned completely green as I rolled my eyes.

"Board is green. Approach run has begun," The Chief Helmsman continued, tapping a few buttons calmly. "Hitting the relay in 3…2…1…" The bright flash that erupted from the relay caused me to shut my eyes tightly. The ship's speed increased as the Relay blasted us into a new system, going so fast it was like when you were on an elevator and it was dropping so quickly that it made you feel like you were floating, or falling. It was never this bad on the Tereshkova, which was a far bigger ship than the Normandy. Hell though, I really did not enjoy this feeling. It was uncomfortable, and I could feel myself hold my breath just waiting for us to make it into the Exodus Cluster.

"Thrusters?" Joker asked me finally. My eyes snapped open and I shook off what remained of my unpleasant feelings. I could feel 'Flight Lieutenant Moreau' watching me as I hurriedly moved my hands across the aerogel to check on the thrusters. "Check!" I called, closing the screen.

"Navigation?" Joker continued. Man, now I knew he was just testing me to see if I actually knew my shit. Obviously I did, otherwise I wouldn't have graduated flight school right behind him on the scoreboards.

"Check," I responded, checking everything else he could ask me to check before he even had to ask. "Internal emissions sink engaged. All systems online," I finished, tapping a few more buttons and closing them as soon as they turned from orange to green on the board.

"Drift… Just under 1500 K," Joker stated, nodding towards the Turian Spectre standing behind us. Today we were going on a shakedown run to Eden Prime, the Citadel Council sending one of their Spectres to inspect our crew and the ship. Because the Normandy was built by both humans and Turians it only made sense to send a Turian to keep an eye on their investment considering that A) There were no human Spectres, and B) The crew was made up of humans.

Then again, having a Turian on board could work both ways. I'd never had anything against Turians, after all I was far too young during First Contact to remember much, but I knew that a lot of humans still didn't think too highly of them. Although in my opinion, the First Contact War was just a misunderstanding and both sides lost a lot... but some people just needed an excuse to be racist.

"1500 is good. Your captain would be pleased." Nihlus told us, giving what I could only guess was a Turian's version of a smile. Maybe it was just because I was a child at heart, but receiving praise from a Spectre... a Turian Spectre at that, practically made me glow with pride. I grinned back at him and nodded.

"Thank you!" I replied earnestly, Joker rolling his eyes. The pilot stayed silent until the Turian was out of earshot.

"I hate that guy," Joker grumbled, adjusting his Alliance issued hat. Sabrina was standing behind us (I wasn't sure how she wanted me to act towards her on duty, so I decided to play it safe and wait for her to talk to me first) and Staff Lieutenant Kaidan Alenko was sitting at the control panel behind us, so I knew that the pilot wasn't talking to me. Not that he really talked to me since our admittedly poor re-introduction, except for the occasional request or order. Regardless, Alenko seemed like a really nice guy. I hadn't known him for very long, but our introduction was a lot better than Joker and I's.

Plus, he was pretty attractive. Short dark hair, gorgeous hazel eyes... and he was decently built and younger than most of the soldiers that worked on the Tereshkova. He wasn't my type or anything, but I could always appreciate the looks of someone that I could actually have a decent conversation with.

Kaidan sighed, giving Joker a withering look. "Nihlus gave you a compliment, so you hate him?" the soldier asked.

"You remember to zip up your jumpsuit on the way out of the bathroom? That's good." Joker scoffed stubbornly. "I-"

"We." I muttered to myself, highly doubting that the older man had heard me as he continued to rant at Kaidan.

"-just jumped us halfway across the galaxy and hit a target the size of a pinhead, so that's incredible," Joker stated, practically brimming with overconfidence as he spoke.

I rolled my eyes. Why was this guy the Chief helmsman again? Nihlus gave us a compliment, and he didn't have to do that... just take the compliment.

Joker turned his seat to face Alenko and Sabrina, expecting me to make sure the Normandy stayed on course. Not that I minded at all, since he'd barely let me do anything at all on this shakedown run. "Besides, Spectres are trouble. I don't like having him on board. Call me paranoid," the pilot shrugged.

"You're paranoid," Kaidan chuckled, shaking his head in disbelief. "The Council helped fund this project. They have a right to send someone to keep an eye on their investment."

My thoughts exactly.

"Yeah that is the official story. But only an idiot believes the official story," Joker argued, glancing at Sabrina for her opinion.

"They don't send Spectres on shakedown runs," Sabrina agreed, leaning against the back of my seat and smiling down at me.

"So there's more going on here than the Captain's letting on." Joker stated proudly, giving Kaidan a look that screamed 'I told you so'.

I smiled up at Sabrina. "Hey, when you find out what's going on… Tell me?" I asked hopefully, always loving to be kept in the loop.

"Sure thing, Keys." The older woman replied, using my nickname from when we ran with the Reds as children. The fond way she spoke to me let me know that she had no problem with me talking with her informally, which filled me with relief. I wasn't sure how long I'd be able to keep up formalities with her. She was my family, after all; my closest friend.

At that moment Anderson's voice rang over the comm. _**"Joker! Status Report,"**_he barked, surprising me.

"Just cleared the mass relay, Captain," Joker responded seriously. "Stealth systems engaged. Everything looks solid."

"_**Good. Find a comm buoy and link us into the network. I want mission reports relayed back to Alliance brass before we reach Eden Prime,"** _The captain ordered. Joker turned his head in my direction, signalling for me to begin. I frowned.

For some reason, I was starting to get the feeling that most of the jobs Joker was going to give me were the ones that he didn't want to do. Regardless, I turned back towards my control panel and began working.

Joker smirked, pleased. "Aye, aye, Captain. Better brace yourself sir. I think Nihlus is headed your way."

Oh dear, I sensed that saying that was _not_ a good idea.

"_**He's already here, Lieutenant."**_

I snorted out a laugh and held back my giggles while Anderson asked Joker to tell Sabrina to go to the comm room.

"You get that Commander?" Joker asked her, placing a hand on his forehead in embarrassment while Sabrina laughed along with me.

"He sounds angry," Kaidan noted. "Something must have gone wrong."

"Pfft. Captain always sounds like that when he's talking to me," Joker told us, his face still a little bit red.

"Can't possibly imagine why," The Lieutenant chuckled.

Sabrina patted my head. "I'll talk to you soon kiddo," she told me before leaving the cockpit. Sabrina now gone, I looked back at Alenko and smiled.

"I can make a few guesses if it helps," I told the biotic, continuing the previous conversation. My words clicking in his head, Kaidan grinned back at me.

"Well, I'll be sure to discuss it with you later." he replied. "Again, welcome onto the Normandy Flight Officer Kogan."

A warm feeling poured into my chest. Alenko was nice, and I liked him. "Thank you! It's a pleasure to be here," I responded cheerfully. It felt nice to be welcomed in a new place, especially since the guy I was working with most wasn't exactly welcoming.

Joker scowled, sending me a glare. "Yeah. Go do your job already, whatever that is."

Mood deflated, I sighed and returned to checking the screens, occasionally pressing a button. Kaidan gave Joker a disapproving look. "Joker..." he warned, the pilot ignoring him.

"It's ok Lieutenant Alenko," I spoke up, proud at how well I was hiding my hurt feelings. After all, Joker could say whatever he wanted to me.

Because really, Joker did most of the work.


	3. Post Eden Prime

_Summary: "Yeah, well. I also remember beating you on every test and simulator." "By one or two point's, maybe. Considering my age at the time that'd still make me better than you." "In your dreams, maybe. Anyways, I'm still the pilot. You're just the co-pilot." Follow Kimberly Kogan as she deals with being the Co-Pilot of Jeff 'Joker' Moreau._

_Author's Note: New chappie, guys. I'm actually so proud with how this chapter turned out. Finished playing ME3 today, so I thought I'd continue with rewriting Co-Pilot before moving on with the rest of the series. :) hope you all enjoy._

_Warnings: OC's, language, Joker._

_Pairings: F!ShepxKaidan._

_Disclaimer: If I owned Bioware… Let's just say a few things would have ended differently._

~*~  
Across the Universe  
Chapter 3: Post Eden Prime  
~*~

The mission on Eden Prime was a disaster.

I'd flown the shuttle down to the surface to pick the ground crew up, only to see Kaidan and some other girl (what happened to Jenkins?) carrying an unconscious Sabrina over their shoulders. Kaidan had told me what happened; he'd gotten too close to the beacon, Sabrina threw him out of the way and then it just... did something to her. All I knew by looking at her, broken and pale, almost lifeless... was that I had to haul ass back to the Normandy. A few crew members lingered around the shuttle bay, awaiting news on the Commander only to be roughly pushed aside by Kaidan and the pink armored soldier that joined us.

"Out of the way!" I bellowed, leaping from my controls and shoving past a few overly curious marines. One glance at the commander was all it took for them to step back and make room. Kaidan and the female soldier lugged Sabrina's unconscious form to the elevator

"Quick, we have to get her to Chakwas!" Kaidan barked, slamming his fist against the call button. A few crew-mates shoved by me to help with Sabrina, forcing me to the back just as the elevator arrived.

"Wait, let me through! Let me stay with Shepard!" I cried, ignored. Finally the sea of people subsided, revealing that the elevator had already left. My heart thudded almost painfully. Engineer Adams placed a comforting hand on my shoulder, grey-green eyes flickering with understanding.

"I'm sure the Commander is fine, Kogan," He voiced. "You should, ah, probably return to your station," Adams finished awkwardly. I nodded, tense and unhappy. I wasn't acting professionally, most people in the Alliance knew better than to let their emotions get the best of them. But Sabrina was my only family now, so seeing her like that... God, what happened on Eden Prime?

"Thanks Adams," I forced a grin onto my face. "I'll head back to the bridge."

The wait for the elevator to come back was excruciating. It felt like the others were staring, and I could vaguely hear their whispers as they gossiped about Sabrina and what was going on. Sabrina was unconscious. Jenkins was dead. Nihlus was dead.

Shit.

Nihlus was dead.

I stepped into the elevator alone, nobody wanting to go up with me. It made sense, I supposed. I was new, I was likely the youngest one on the ship. Not only that, but most knew that I was close with the Commander. Information spread across this ship like wildfire, obviously. Now on the second deck, I took a wary peek towards the med-bay. Kaidan was talking to the Captain. Anger was written across Anderson's face as the lieutenant spoke to him. The female soldier from before was standing nearby, blood dripping from her arm and to the floor. Sabrina was already in the med-bay, Chakwas working hurriedly...

Anderson glanced at me and instantly I scurried to where I was supposed to be. Even if Sabrina was family, I had to be professional. Adams said she was going to be fine. Sure, he wasn't a doctor, but Adams was smart. And I didn't want to get in trouble this soon on a new ship for not doing what I was supposed to do.

...Even if Joker didn't really let me do much.

My stomach clenched uncomfortably as I returned to the bridge. Joker turned to glance at me for a second before returning his attention to the control panel. I sat down in the co-pilot's seat. Stood up. Sat down. Stood up again. Sat down again. Checked my omni-tool

Jesus, I didn't have any focus.

I opened my mouth. "Is there anything I can-"

"No," Joker shot. I winced. Glanced over my shoulder to the dimly lit CIC. Captain Anderson was there now, talking to Pressly. What were they talking about? I hoped Sabrina was okay. I looked over at Joker.

"So... if there's nothing I can do..."

"Well, you can always be quiet."

I flinched, shrinking back. That's when the anger began to bubble in my belly. "I'm sorry, I'm just a bit anxious. Sabrina's family, and she's in the med-bay," I snapped. "So I'm a bit anxious."

Joker's green orbs met my brown ones with the tiniest bit of amusement shining in them. "You said that you were anxious already."

I scoffed. "Sorry," I spat sarcastically.

"You apologize a lot more than I remember, Kogan," Joker noted. He returned his gaze to the console in front of him.

"You're talking more than I remember," I shot back. The silence sank in after that. Joker didn't respond. The anger I previously felt simmered down to nothing. Then the worry came back. Slowly, clenching around my heart. Was Sabrina okay? What was wrong? What happened?

I stood up. Sat down. Stood up again. Sat down again. Checked my omni-tool.

An hour later and only after my tenth check of my omni-tool did Joker finally snap.

"Go check on her already, will you?! You're worrying so loud that it's beginning to make me worried." He told me "You can barely do your job as it is. So go and help Chakwas or something. I won't file a complaint or anything if you do."

"...Really?" I asked, uncertain. Telling me to check on Sabrina was probably the nicest thing Joker had done since I'd arrived.

"Well, yeah," Joker grumbled. "You're distracting me with all your anxious habits."

It felt like a weight had been lifted off my shoulders. "Thanks so much," I hurriedly told him; shooting out from my seat and dashing towards the staircase by the CIC. Kaidan was walking up the stairs just as I was rushing down.

"Kim coming through! I'm sorry! Gotta check on Sabrina!" I told him, almost knocking him over in the process. The lieutenant simply smiled and shook his head at my childish antics before continuing on his way. Barrelling through the Med-Bay doors, I looked back and forth between Chakwas and the Commander "Dr. Chakwas! Is she okay?!"

The older woman looked me over with amusement in her pale green eyes, nodding. "She's stable. She'll be making a full recovery," Chakwas confirmed, slaying all of my worries.

Instantly a wave of relief came over me, and I felt myself begin to calm down.

"Is it okay if I stay here until she wakes up?" I asked her. "Joker said I could help you out since I was worrying so much-"

"Oh of course Kim, of course," Dr. Chakwas laughed. "Could you give this medi-gel to the female soldier outside though? It'll only take a second, but I need to keep an eye on the Commander just in case."

Taking the medi-gel from the doctor, I nodded. "Sure thing Doc," I replied. It was amazing how much better I felt now, knowing for sure that Sabrina would be fine. Stepping out into the Mess Hall, I looked around to see if I could spot anyone new. The woman from Eden Prime was talking to Captain Anderson not too far away from the Med-Bay, so I walked towards them carefully, hoping not to interrupt "Um, hello?" I held out the medi-gel "Dr. Chakwas asked me to give this to you. Hello Captain," I greeted. The woman took the medicine and moved to shake my hand.

"Thank you. I'm Gunnery Chief Ashley Williams, nice to meet you," Ashley greeted. She seemed like a hard worker.

"Williams is going to be working on the Normandy from now on," Anderson told me with a smile, before becoming serious. "So, Flight Officer... Mind telling me why you aren't with Joker in the cockpit?"

I gulped, nervous. "I was so worried about Sabri- I mean, Commander Shepard, that I was practically tearing the cockpit apart," I responded honestly. "So Joker told me to help Dr. Chakwas in the Med-Bay. I apologize for my actions, Captain," I finished, saluting.

The Captain nodded at me in understanding. He knew how close I was to Sabrina, and he had read my psych profile. Anderson had likely guessed that I wouldn't react very well to Sabrina getting hurt. "At ease, Officer Kogan," Anderson ordered. I lowered my hand. "Well, alright then. Be sure to let me know as soon as the Commander is awake."

"Yes Sir!" Ashley and I saluted. Anderson headed towards his quarters, leaving Ashley and I in the mess hall. The captain now gone, I grinned at the dark haired soldier.

"I'm Kim, by the way. Flight Officer Kimberly Kogan," I told her, scratching the back of my head. "Or just the Co-Pilot, I guess. So… It's nice to meet you Williams."

Ashley smiled at me and shrugged "It's nice to feel welcomed. Please, you can call me Ashley if you want. At least when our CO's aren't around."

Nodding enthusiastically, I agreed. "Sure! And you can call me Kim, then," I glanced in the direction of the Med-Bay. "I'll be in the Med-Bay for now if you need anything, but most of the time you'll be able to find me in the cockpit if you just want to hang out or… something," I shrugged. "Sorry if I'm speaking a bit too informally," I apologized. "A lot of the people I worked with before, on the Tereshkova... well, they didn't mind it."

"I don't mind it, and I'm getting the feeling that I'm not the only new member in the crew…" Ashley noted, a small smile gracing her lips.

I snickered. "Yeah. I've only recently been transferred to this ship," I told Ashley. "The pilot, Jeff Moreau... but everyone calls him Joker. He doesn't really like me that much," A sigh escaped my lips. "I think he's upset that the Alliance thinks he needs help piloting the Normandy."

"Can't see why he doesn't like you. Maybe he just doesn't want to admit to needing the help," Ashley grinned at me and I grinned back. A few other marines entered the mess hall, causing Ashley to check her omni-tool. "I'll see you later, Kim. You should probably get back to the Med-Bay."

"Oh, right!" I exclaimed, rushing away. "See you later Ash!"

Chakwas looked up at me as I returned. "Ah, welcome back. I won't need much help honestly, Officer Kogan," the doctor told me. "But you're welcome to stay here until the Commander wakes up."

"Thanks so much Dr. Chakwas," I voiced sincerely. "Would you happen to know what happened to Sabrina?" I asked her, stumbling over my words almost instantly. "I mean Shepard, the Commander... uh..." my face burned with embarrassment, Chakwas smiling.

"It's quite alright Officer Kogan. The Commander mentioned that the two of you grew up together," Chakwas told me. "And according to Dr. Cameron Weiss, you were absolutely horrid with formalities on the Tereshkova. He sent me a note, saying that you'd start calling me Karen by the end of your first week."

I grinned awkwardly. "Yeah, I was still pretty young when I started working on the Tereshkova... None of them really tried too hard to get me to follow protocol. At least with the way I talk."

Dr. Chakwas shrugged. "Personally, I don't mind it at all. It's nice to have someone around that'll talk to us like we're regular people and not Alliance personnel."

"That's what Cam said!" I exclaimed. "But is there anything that I can do while I'm here though? I don't want to just sit around doing nothing."

Chakwas looked up thoughtfully. "Well, you could always do inventory."

I shrugged, getting to work. Hours passed, Karin giving me odd jobs to do. Occasionally she'd send Joker and Anderson an update on what I was doing so that they would know I was actually doing work. Fifteen hours after Sabrina had entered the Med-Bay did she start to wake up.

"I'll go tell Anderson," I told Karin. I passed Kaidan on my way to the Captain's quarters, the biotic lieutenant heading towards the Med-Bay to check on Sabrina himself. My fist knocked on Anderson's door, the Captain opening it to grant me access. I saluted. "Captain, Sabrina's..." I paused. "Shepard's waking up," I corrected. The Captain nodding at me.

"Kogan, I'm going to talk to you off the record here for a moment," the Captain stood up. I nodded, lowering my hand to my side. "Kim, now... I know that you're close with Shepard. She's told me about your past, I've read your personnel file and your psych evaluations. Damian spoke to me about you on a few occasions and I have reports from your old crew and old instructors," Anderson told me.

My throat tightened. "So... What's up, Captain? Off the record."

Anderson shook his head. "People like you, Kim. And you like people. You genuinely care for the people you work with, sometimes too much. And that's not a bad thing, it's far from it in fact," he sighed. "Joker is the opposite. He pushes people away. Apparently you were the only one in the Academy that worked well with him. Why do you think this is?"

I looked down. "Because I wouldn't let him push me around...?"

The Captain chuckled. "According to your instructors, you were determined to be his friend."

"I was young and naive, sir," I told him, rolling my eyes. "But what exactly are you trying to tell me?"

"Regardless of what he wants to believe, he does have to work with you. He might say he's the best damn helmsman in the Alliance, but you were right behind him on those scoreboards. Even though Sabrina's family to you, your work with Joker comes first," Anderson explained. "But it won't work if you let your emotions get the best of you, it won't work if you let him push you away. Focus on the job, Officer Kogan," he finished firmly. I shrank a bit, discouraged. I shouldn't have let myself get so worried about Sabrina.

"Yes, Sir," I nodded, trying to keep the hurt out of my voice. At that, Anderson placed a comforting hand on my shoulder.

"I know, Kim. I know. And I'm not mad at you for worrying about Sabrina, but I want this crew to be the best. I could care less about how you speak with others, or if you call them by name instead of rank. But I need you to prove to Joker that he needs you, ok?"

"Ok," I agreed. "Should I return to the bridge?"

Anderson nodded. "Set a course for the Citadel, Flight Officer."

"Sure thing," I replied. Leaving his quarters, I stepped towards the staircase that led to the CIC. My boots clacked against the metal floor, voices echoing behind me as I walked to the cockpit. I allowed my eyes to linger on the galaxy map for a moment before speeding up to return to work. Joker didn't look at me when I took my seat next to him, setting a course for the Citadel.

"Anderson wants us to go to the Citadel," I explained. "FTL jump from the Lowas Relay to the Serpent Nebula."

"I could've done that," Joker told me, shooting me an annoyed look.

"Yeah, but I did it. So what?" I retorted. "It's not like I'm unable to help out here. I am your co-pilot, after all."

Joker let out a grunt of acknowledgement, glaring out the window to the vast expanse of space.

"Hey, Joker?" I spoke up once more, awkward and shy.

"What?" he snapped, cold and uncaring.

"Thanks... for letting me check on Sabrina. It meant a lot," I told him earnestly.

He didn't respond.


End file.
